Description: The Ilyushin Il-76 is a medium military transport/cargo aircraft originally designed to provide support to the Soviet Army replacing the turboprop powered An-12. Dubbed Candid by NATO, has been suggested as the Soviet counterpart to the United States Air Force C-141 Starlifter cargo aircraft. The Il-76 was also developed to meet the requirements of civil cargo transport requirements. Originally, it was powered by four D-30KP turbofan engines which have been replaced in subsequent versions by the PS-90/PS-90AN fuel efficient engine. A rear ramp allows for rapid loading/off-loading of cargo, equipment and/or personnel. Many Il-76 aircraft versions have been produced for military customers (Il-76, Il-76M, Il-76MD and Il-76MF) and civil customers (Il-76TD, Il-76TD-90 and Il-76TF). The Il-78 dubbed 'Midas' is a version developed to play as a tanker aircraft (Il-78M and Il-78MK) and introduced in 1987. The Il-76 project was launched in the late 1960s and the maiden flight was carried out on March 25, 1971. Series production started in 1975. The Il-76 military transport aircraft were provided with two 23mm GSh-23L guns in the tail and require a seven-man aircrew.

The first Il-76 military transport aircraft entered service in 1975 and was replaced in the production line by the improved Il-76M. The Il-76MD is a modified version of Il-76M with the main structural elements such as frame and landing gear strengthened to increase the maximum take-off gross weight and payload. Originally, the Il-76MD was powered by four D-30KP turbofan engines rated at 12,000 kg/26,000-lb of thrust each which currently are being replaced by the more efficient PS-90A-76. The Il-76MD aircraft took to the skies on July 23, 1983.

The Il-76MF military transport aircraft is a modified version of Il-76MD featuring an enlarged fuselage, a new auxiliary power unit, modern avionics and PS-90A-76 fuel efficient turbojet engines each rated at 16,000kg/35,000-lb of thrust. In addition, the Il-76MF only requires a crew of five-man compared to seven-man in early models. Ilyushin Aviation Complex carried out the maiden flight on August 1, 1995. The mission range assigned to the Il-76 military transport aircraft includes: transportation of personnel; cargo; weapons; equipment; medical evacuation; and airdrop of airborne troops, equipment and cargo.

The IL-76MD-90 is a version of Il-76MD powered by more powerful PS-90A-76 turbofans, each rated at 35,000-lb, providing a maximum combined thrust of 140,000-lb at takeoff. The Il-76MD-90 increases the cruise speed from 750 kph to 850 kph compared with the D-30KP powered Il-76MD. Takeoff and landing run distances are shortened for the PS-90-A76 powered Il-76MD and the flight performance gets improved as well. The Russian Air Force expects to take delivery of 12 upgraded Il-76MD-90 airplanes before 2010. The upgraded versions of the Il-76 and An-124 aircraft will form the basis of the Russian strategic airlift capacity through 2030-2040 timeframe.